SpireHouse specializes in publishing science fiction, fantasy, and young adult science fiction and fantasy in electronic format. We publish stories in these genres as short stories, collections of short stories, novellas, and novels.
For short stories, we tend to like a word count of around 3,500-10,000 words. Anything shorter than 3,500—unless the story is absolutely mind-blowing (which happens from time to time)—is probably not a good fit for us. However, we will accept collections of short stories. For example, if you have 2-4 stories that are at least 3,500 words total, and would be interested in publishing those serially, or as a collection, please submit them.
When you're writing a short story, here's something to think about: Big things come in small packages. Your short story should pack a serious punch, and immerse a reader emotionally and mentally as much as a novel.
A short story is something a reader can come back to over and over, willfully, thirstily, seeking the answer to the question: "Why am I compelled to read this again?"
A novella would ideally run anywhere from 15,000-60,000 words. A novella should be a little more (but not necessarily) complex than a short story, in terms of character conflict, themes, and overall plot material. Remember, like a short story, a novella should pack a mean punch. Novellas don’t have chapters, but can be divided into three or four sections, divided by larger sections of white space on the page. Ideally, a novella can be read in one or two sittings, but that is not a rule carved in stone (few rules actually are . . . but don’t tell anyone).
The novel. The meat and potatoes, so to speak, of how stories are consumed. To put it simply, a novel is simply a long string of narrative prose, and you can structure it any way you want, as long as it is structured like a novel. Got it? Think you’ve got the next Lord of the Rings, Neuromancer, or Foundation? Submit it, son!
All manuscripts must be e-mailed as a Microsoft Word document and set according to William Shunn’s manuscript format. We are sorry to say that if your story is not submitted according to these criteria, we won’t read it!
When you decide your work is ready for submission, simply e-mail the manuscript as an attachment to submissions@spirehousebooks.com.
In the body of your e-mail, please include your name, contact information, and a brief synopsis (200-300 words) of your story.
We can’t always guarantee a hasty reply to your electronic submission, but what we can guarantee is that your work will be looked at by an actual human being! We understand how personal and important your writing is to you, and we do not take those sentiments for granted. Please be patient with us. If you have not heard back from our editorial department within 60 days of submission, please e-mail a kind note to admin@spirehousebooks.com.
Please do not attempt to send hard copy manuscripts. After all, this is digital publishing we’re talking about here.
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